Dental Chews for Vegan Dogs

Some dogs have a problem with dental tartar, and our rescued boy is one of them. Over the past couple of years, we’ve had to adopt a rigorous dental cleaning regimen for Valiant, because otherwise his teeth become quickly covered in plaque that is a nightmare to remove.

In addition to snacks of crunchy kibble, Valiant receives a daily brushing with a 50/50 mixture of aloe and food-grade hydrogen peroxide (as prescribed by one of his many veterinarian friends), as well as periodic scaling with dental instruments. He doesn’t enjoy the scaling, but he tolerates it as long as there is an extra person cuddling him at the same time. It takes time, patience and perseverance, but it’s preferable to putting him under anesthetic at the vet’s office.

A few months ago, we started researching canine dental chews, but it was hard to find anything appropriate for vegan dogs. Then we discovered Paragon Products. Paragon dental chews are potato-based, and none of them contain any animal by-products at all. In addition, according to the website, they contain little fat, and their fiber content is good for digestion.

Just the visual appearance of the chews demonstrates how good they must be for oral health. The odd shapes and hard texture seem to make for good stimulation of the teeth and gums, and Valiant seems to really enjoy chewing on them.

“Naturally vegetable-based and containing no chemical additives, they are designed to help clean the teeth and freshen the breath by encouraging dogs to indulge in their natural instinct to chew… These totally edible toys keep dogs interested in chewing, enabling the many small protrusions on the shapes to get right in between the teeth to do a thorough cleaning job.”

The result? At his last visit, Valiant’s vet sent him home with a report of 2/10 for oral plaque, which was pretty darn good considering his dental history. In addition to that, his breath is definitely better.

For caregivers of vegan dogs, Paragon Chews are a blessing, making it possible for our rescued friends to enjoy good dental and oral health without having to sacrifice our vegan values.